Type Ia Supernova Scenarios and the Hubble Sequence

Abstract

The dependence of the Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) rate on galaxy type is examined for three currently proposed scenarios: merging of a Chandrasekhar--mass CO white dwarf (WD) with a CO WD companion, explosion of a sub--Chandrasekhar mass CO WD induced by accretion of material from a He star companion, and explosion of a sub--Chandrasekhar CO WD in a symbiotic system. The variation of the SNe Ia rate and explosion characteristics with time is derived, and its correlation with parent population age and galaxy redshift is discussed. Among current scenarios, CO + He star systems should be absent from E galaxies. Explosion of CO WDs in symbiotic systems could account for the SNe Ia rate in these galaxies. The same might be true for the CO + CO WD scenario, depending on the value of the common envelope parameter. A testable prediction of the sub--Chandrasekhar WD model is that the average brightness and kinetic energy of the SN Ia events should increase with redshift for a given Hubble type. Also for this scenario, going along the Hubble sequence from E to Sc galaxies SNe Ia events should be brighter on average and should show larger mean velocities of the ejecta. The observational correlations strongly suggest that the characteristics of the SNe Ia explosion are linked to parent population age. The scenario in which WDs with masses below the Chandrasekhar mass explode appears the most promising one to explain the observed variation of the SN Ia rate with galaxy type together with the luminosity--expansion velocity trend.

16 pages uuencoded compressed Postscript, 2 figures included. ApJ Letters, in press

References in corpus (1)

• Using SN Ia Light Curve Shapes to Measure The Hubble Constant

Cited by in corpus (32)

• Type Ia Supernova Explosion Models
• The supernova rate per unit mass
• Two populations of progenitors for type Ia SNe?
• Direct, Indirect and Collider Detection of Neutralino Dark Matter In SUSY Models with Non-universal Higgs Masses
• The rates of Type Ia Supernovae. I. Analytical Formulations
• A High Intrinsic Peculiarity Rate Among Type Ia Supernovae
• Type Ia Supernovae: Their Origin and Possible Applications in Cosmology
• The Role of Type Ia Supernovae in Chemical Evolution I: Lifetime of Type Ia Supernovae and Galactic Supernova Rates
• Supernovae Rates: A Cosmic History
• Quasinormal modes of gravitational perturbation around a Schwarzschild black hole surrounded by quintessence
• Initial-Final Mass Relationship for Stars of Different Metallicities
• The Rate of Type Ia Supernovae at High Redshift
• Type Ia supernova counts at high z: signatures of cosmological models and progenitors
• Why Are Radio-Galaxies Prolific Producers of Type Ia Supernovae?
• Quantum Corrections to the Accretion onto a Schwarzschild Black Hole in the Background of Quintessence
• The Hubble Space Telescope Cluster Supernova Survey: II. The Type Ia Supernova Rate in High-Redshift Galaxy Clusters
• The Massive CO White Dwarf in the Symbiotic Recurrent Nova RS Ophiuchi
• Identification of the companion stars of Type Ia supernovae
• Supernova rates from the SUDARE VST-Omegacam search II. Rates in a galaxy sample
• Distribution of ${}^{56}$Ni Yields of Type Ia Supernovae and its Implication for Progenitors
• Further constraints on white dwarf galactic halos
• The cosmic gamma-ray background in the MeV range
• Geodesic Structure of the Quantum-Corrected Schwarzschild Black Hole Surrounded by Quintessence
• Dormant dwarf spheroidal galaxies, deactivated by Type Ia supernovae
• The Influence of Free Quintessence on Gravitational Frequency Shift and Deflection of Light with 4D momentum
• The Single-Degenerate Scenario for Type Ia SNe in Cosmic Perspective
• The rate and the origin of type Ia supernovae in radiogalaxies
• Quantum Statistical Entropy and Minimal Length of 5D Ricci-flat Black String with Generalized Uncertainty Principle
• Binary Evolution of Type Ia Supernovae
• The Fourth Gravity Test and Quintessence Matter Field
• The Type Ia Supernova Rate at z ~ 0.4
• Non-singular Bouncing Cosmology in $f(R,G,T)$--Quintom model